Staff at Sheffield City Council have lost their jobs or resigned following the discovery of fraudulent activity, according to a report.
The report says: ‘As the council has such a large workforce covering many services there will always be a range of issues.’
It said cases were from all directorates and included theft, falsification of timesheets, financial abuse of service users, excessive use of internet during work time and behaviour breaching standards within the code of conduct.
It states: ‘Following investigation, appropriate sanctions were applied where the issues were found to be proven. This resulted in several dismissals / resignations.’
The council's audit and standards committee met yesterday (27 July) to discuss the report.
Cllr Sioned-Mair Richards, deputy chair of the committee, said: ‘Sheffield City Council has robust processes to aid in the prevention and early detection of fraud. These are backed up by relevant anti-fraud policies, which are available to all staff and have become embedded into Council processes.
‘The types of fraud identified within the council mirror those found nationally and we notify and involve the police where appropriate.’
